'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a 48-Hour Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Test.

Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.

You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.

The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.

The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.

If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.

It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.

Having excessive grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.

Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.

Adjustment: The Core Skill

Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.

The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.

Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be ascribed to each.

Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.

"Far from being the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.

The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.

Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.

At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.

Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.